Three Things the Browns Need To Learn From Super Bowl LX Bound Seattle Seahawks

As the Cleveland Browns prepare to witness yet another Super Bowl from the living room, there are a number of lessons to be learned from the two teams that will play next Sunday evening for the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

In the case of the NFC Champions, the Seattle Seahawks managed an almost seamless regime change, going from Pete Carroll and the franchise’s best era, to Mike Macdonald leading the team to its fourth Super Bowl appearance in just a couple of years.

Here are three lessons that the Browns could learn on how the Seahawks made an improbable return to Super Bowl LX:

Let the front office run the team

The owners pay a lot of money to each club’s executives. Yet, every time an owner overrides his front office’s decisions, it’s basically flushing that money down the toilet.

In the case of the Browns, it’s been well documented how principal owner Jimmy Haslam loves to insert himself in the team’s most critical operations. These include the hiring of Hue Jackson as the team’s head coach instead of following his executives recommendations of going with Sean McDermott in 2016, or how he took advice from a homeless man on drafting Johnny Manziel.

Now, look at the Seahawks, whose owner Paul Allen passed away in 2018 and have been run since by his sister Jody Allen, executor of his trust. Even before his passing, Allen didn’t fall into the micromanaging trap.

Today, there’s a clear understanding of John Schneider’s role as general manager and president of football operations, and how the team operates under him. In Cleveland, front office roles haven’t always been well defined, adding to the dysfunction. Defined roles also lead to better accountability.

Don’t corner yourself in at the quarterback position

We’re talking Deshaun Watson here. Not only did the Browns give up a treasure chest worth of draft capital for a passer who has started 19 games with a losing record over the course of four years, but the financial burden of a $230 million fully guaranteed contract has been massive, as well.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks didn’t blink when they decided to make third-round rookie Russell Wilson the starter over glitzy free agency acquisition Matt Flynn in 2012, nor when the franchise decided to move on from Wilson in 2022.

The $26 million cap hit resulting from trading him to the Denver Broncos now seems like peanuts in comparison to the dead caps awaiting the Browns should they move on from Watson. And, as a team that doesn’t pick very high in the first round too often, Seattle didn’t pay outlandishly for Geno Smith nor Sam Darnold in free agency, thus maintaining the possibility to move on with minimal financial damage.

Find good veteran leaders

Cooper Kupp isn’t the same guy who achieved the receiving triple crown back in 2021, but he’s a serviceable vet with a solid veteran presence in the locker room. Ernest Jones IV has been a home run since arriving via trade for fellow linebacker Jerome Baker -- now in Cleveland, ironically -- and a fourth-round pick with Tennessee.

Geno Smith actually jumpstarted what looked like a lost career in Seattle, and Darnold achieved heights never seen before in his game. Seattle has been choosy when it comes to adding veteran talent, and it certainly has paid off. Even getting Bobby Wagner for one more year back in 2023 was a hit, even if he moved on again, away from the club. We can go on with guys like Rashid Shaheed ,who only cost the team two mid-round picks. Or how about front-seven stalwarts such as Demarcus Lawrence, Leonard Williams and Uchenna Nwosu.

Sure, Seattle has failed here too, like in the Jamal Adams case, but the hits far outpace the misses.

Meanwhile in Cleveland, their top wideout Jerry Jeudy finished behind two tight ends, one of them a rookie, in the receiving touchdown category and second in the NFL in drops. Recent pickups like Malachi Corley and Cam Robinson have had minimal impact if any, and Joe Flacco 2.0 was an unmitigated disaster.